Parallel-ruler.



H. VAN ALTE'NA.

PARALLEL RULER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1909.

Patented Sept. 14,1909.

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HENRY VAN ALTENA, F SOMERSET COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

PARALLEL-RULER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY VAN ALTENA, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the county of Somerset and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Parallel-Rulers, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to rulers, and par ticularly to what are known as parallel rulers; and the object thereof is to provide an improved device of this class which is simple in construction and exact in operation,and which may also be used as an ordi nary scale ruler and for the purpose of drawing triangles, rectangles, parallelograins and the like quickly and easily, and which may be conveniently used in what is known as cross hatching or the shading of sectional views in making drawings of various kinds and classes.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved ruling device, Fig. 2 a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a longitudinal section on the line 83 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 a cross section on the line 4:4 of Fig. 1.

1n the practice of my invention, I provide an ordinary measuring rule a which may be of any desired length, but which as shown in the drawing, is ten inches long, and in the practice of my invention I connect with the back a of the rule a a roller 6 of predetermined length and preferably a couple of inches shorter than the rule a.

The roller 0 is connected with the back of the rule a by means of eye bolts 6 which are screwed into the back of said rule, and screws which are passed through the heads of the eye bolts 6 and into the ends of the roller Z). The roller Z) is also provided adjacent to each end with a toothed wheel or milled wheel 6 and these wheels facilitate the operation of the device as here inafter described.

One end of the roller Z), the right hand end as shown in the drawing, is provided with a sleeve 0 through which said roller passes and in which said roller is free to turn, and the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 5, 1909.

Patented Sept. 14, 1909.

Serial No. 494,011.

with a longitudinal opening 0 at the back edge of which is a scale 0 which, in the construction shown, represents an inch and fractions thereof, the fractions being onesixteenth, one-eighth, one-quarter and onehalf, and the roller 6 is provided with an nularly arranged scale marks d, (P, 03 d and (Z which correspond respectively with the scale marks one-sixteenth, one-eighth,

one-quarter, one-half and one on the sleeve 0.

Theprojecting members 0 which connect the sleeve 0 with the rule a are simply inserted into the slot d in the back of the rule and are free to move in said slot in the form of construction shown, but the roller 7) is held permanently in a predetermined position and neither the said roller nor the sleeve 0 can move far enough in either direction to disarrange the scale marks (Z, (P, etc. on said roller in relation to the scale marks onesixteenth, one-eighth, etc. on the sleeve 0.

The operation of this device will be readily understood from the foregoing description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and the following statement thereof. The device is placed on a paper or other surface as shown in Fig. 2, and pressure is applied to the top surface or side of the roller c with one hand or the fingers thereof and the initial line is drawn by means of a pencil held in the other hand. If it is desired to make the parallel lines one-sixteenth of an inch apart, the device is moved backwardly until the roller b turns through one of the spaces indicated by the scale marks cl thereon when another line is drawn and so on until all the desired lines are drawn. If it is desired to make lines one-eighth or one-quarter or one-half of an inch, or one inch apart, the scale marks (1 (i (Z or d are used as will be readily understood. In this operation the wheels regulate the backward movement of the device on the surface which is being ruled and insures a gradual and even movement of the device without the slipping thereof in any direction.

In order to adapt the device for use in making What are known as cross hatching or sectional shading :lines I provide the roller 6 with a ratchet ortoothed wheel 6 which is preferably connected therewith at the end opposite the sleeve 0, but which may be connected therewith at any desired,point, and a spring arm 6% is secured to the rule a and provided With a tooth 6 which operates in connectionwith the ratchets or teeth on the wheel 6, and the" distancebetween the cross hatching or shading line Will be determined by the distance represented by the ratchetsoriteeth on the Wheel 0.

In cross hatching or sectional shading, the device may be held-atany desired-angle on the sheet-on Which-the drawing is being made, and after each backward movement thereof, as in the operation of parallel rul- =ing :hereinbefore described, a shading line will be drawn. In this operation there is a slight click or noise madeat'each backward movement of the devicebythe spring arm '6 operating in connection with the Wheel 0, and this will indicateito the operator any uneven "or" irregular backward: movement of the device. I

By means of myimprovement, I provide a viparallel ruling device which is simple in construction *and' operationfl and may be 'conveniently manipulated; and which: -ma=y 'also be'nsed in 'what is knownfas cross atch shading in making sectional viewsvof various kinds and classespand myinventi-on is not l'iini-ted 'tothe exact construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein shown iand fdescribed, 'iand --various changes therein and modifications thereof :may ma'de, within the 'scop'e of the appended claims, without departing from "the spirit of my invention or sa'crificing its a dvantages. it

*Will alSO bG seen that-although I have shown a and described the part a as -pro'vi ded with a measuring scale,' it will be -apparent that this is not an essential it'eature as 1 any suitable straight edged ndevice of the general form of the part a inay be substituted therefor. r Having'fiilly described my inven tion,"what I claim as new=an d desire toseoure by Letters Patent," is

.1. In a device of the class described, aparallel r-uling device comprising a straight edge device, a roller mounted at the back thereof and provided adjacent to each end With toothed wheels, and a sleeve mounted on said roller and connected -with the straight edge device, said sleevebeing providedwith:rlongitudinal opening at one end of which is a scale, and said roller being provided within said 'opening with annularly: arranged ;scale markswhich correspond with thesoalc: marks on the sleeve.

2.'In1-a device of ithe class described, a parallel riilii'rg devicecomprising a straight edge device, a "roller m'ouinted at t-lie back thereof and provided @a'djacent' to each 1 end on sai'd :roller and "connected with the c with toothed -wheels, 'anrd a sleeveninounted strai ht e'd- 'edevice said'sleeve heih v oroprovid-ed vavithin "said {opening with 'annularly arranged scale marks which correspond with the scale marks on the -slee ve, -and said I roller bei-ng a-ls'o provided with a ratchet w-heelg anda spring arm connected with the straight edge and! provided with a tooth op eratingin connection' with said wheel. I V

3. A parallelru l'er device"comprising a straight r e'd ge a roller mounted at the I back thereof and provided adjacent to-eachend with 'a toothed wheel, a sleeve loosely :mounted on said: roller and loosely connected with the straight edge, said sleeve being provided with alongitudinal opening adj a cent to which is a scale representing fractions of an inch,:'a-n dsaid:roller beingprovided "within said opening with ann-ularly arranged sca-leicmarks representing fractions of inches'' and corresponding with the scale marks on said sleeve.

Ila-testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of'the subscribing witnesses this -H.R. CANFIELD, 

